SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 13, 2026.– Costa Rica staged a spectacular comeback after falling behind two sets to one to defeat Panama 3-2 (25-19, 16-25, 22-25, 25-22, 21-19), keeping its hopes alive of advancing to the championship match of the third edition of the AFECAVOL Men’s Final Four.
With the victory, Costa Rica evened its record at 1-1, the same mark as Nicaragua, which it will face on the final day in a match that will determine one of the berths in the championship match. Panama, meanwhile, remains winless after two outings.
After dropping the second and third sets, Costa Rica responded with determination to force a fifth set, where both teams produced a tense finish. Panama had opportunities to take control of the match, but Costa Rica showed greater composure in the decisive points to secure a valuable victory.
The hosts held a narrow 66-65 edge in attacks and were stronger from the service line (5-1). Panama performed better in blocks (17-15) and also held the advantage in points from opponent errors (27-23).
Gilberth Solano led Costa Rica’s offense with 24 points, while Jhostin Varela added 21. For Panama, David De León was the match’s leading scorer with 26 points, followed by Dixon Downer with 21.
Following the thrilling victory, Costa Rica head coach César Salas said: “We have to give credit to Panama, which defended us very well. I believe Costa Rica has still not found its best version, but the changes we made in this match worked and were key to helping the team find better balance. We have Nicaragua left in our final match, and we are going to give everything to go after the victory.”
Panama head coach Alexis Flores commented: “We made the necessary adjustments for this match. The players gave everything on the court; what can I say, I am very satisfied with the work my team did. They gave everything for their country, but we were unable to get the win. Now we have one match left; we will look to finish in the best possible way and then fight for a medal.”
English 
Spanish